Challenge
No. 3

A
Letter to the Persecuted Missionaries

Dear Fellow-workers,

Greetings with love and sympathies.

Everytime we, who live and work in quiet and peaceful areas,
receive news of persecution in the mission fields and how you suffer, our hearts
bleed for you. We immediately rush to the Throne of Grace to plead before the
Lord of the Harvest on your behalf for a fresh supply of grace and strength. We
weep with you as fellow-members of the same Body (Rom 12:15; Job 30:25; Psa
35:13,14; 1 Cor 12:26; Heb 13:3). Though we are not able to visit you at once,
we assure you we are with you in spirit (1 Cor 5:4). We pray that you would not
be in any way terrified by the enemies of the gospel (Phil 1:28). It is only
natural to lose heart when hit or threatened. But we would like to remind you of
what Jesus said while sending forth His twelve disciplesó

"Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the
soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are
not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground
without your Fatherís will. The very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do
not fear therefore!" (Mt 10:28-31).

What this passage actually means is: We are precious to God.
He knows all about us and is deeply concerned about every detail of our life.
Under normal circumstances He will protect us as the apple of His eye. But in
His sovereign will He may at times let us suffer in the hands of evil men. He
may even allow us die of persecution. But His presence will ever be with us.
Therefore we need not fear.

It was this conviction that made the three Hebrew young men
stand firm with courage and confidence against the threat of being burnt alive.
They knew that God was able to deliver them. Even if He would not, they would
rather die than deny their faith (Dan 3:17,18). Many are the heroes of faith who
were "tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better
resurrection" (Heb 11:35).

As the Church of Jesus Christ is becoming increasingly
aggressive in evangelism the devil is inordinately angry because he knows that
he has only a short time (Rev 12:12b). Persecution is actually a reaction. No
wonder it mounts up everywhere. In the year 2000 alone, there had been over 40
major incidents of documented violence against Christians across India. Take
heart! "Do not think... as though some strange thing happened to you; but
rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christís sufferings... knowing that
the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world" (1
Pet 4:12,13; 5:9). You are not alone in this battle.

Every stone pelted at you will become a gem studded on your
crown! Jesus who had been "sitting" at the right hand of the Father
was seen by Stephen "standing" (Mk 16:19; Acts 7:56). This first
martyr of the Church was received up in Heaven with such honours! If the
persecution is severe the outcome will be sublime. They killed a Stephen but God
raised a Saul! The martyrdom of Stephen set the stage for the conversion of Saul
(Acts 7:57,58). The prominent opponents of the gospel usually become its
powerful exponents (Acts 9:20-22).

Suffering is suffering, but we would like you to know that in
divine perspective it is a privilege. Not everyone who preaches the gospel is
stoned or martyred. When Peter and the other apostles were beaten for their
relentless witnessing, they actually rejoiced that they had been counted worthy
to suffer shame for the Name of Jesus (Acts 5:40,41). In another instance when
Paul and Barnabas were literally expelled from one region, they and their
company were overwhelmed with joy (Acts 13:50-52).

Do you know how you bless the other members of the Body of
Christ when you go through persecution? News of persecution stirs them up to
step up praying. But thereís something more. They become bolder and more
enthusiastic in evangelism. See the response of the Philippian believers to Paulís
imprisonment. He observed, "The things which happened to me have actually
turned out for the furtherance of the gospel... Most of the brothers having
become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the Word without
fear!" (Phil 1:12-14). Persecution is also a proven method frequently
employed by God to scatter His people from their comfort zones into unreached
places (Acts 8:1,4).

We understand how your parents and other members of the
family feel when you suffer. It is not easy for them to stay peaceful. Even when
Jesus was a baby in the hands of His mother Mary, Simeon told her, "A sword
will pierce through your own soul" (Lk 2:35). Mary was known for keeping
things in her heart and pondering over them (Lk 2:51). Imagine how she would
have lived for over thirty years with such a mental torture! How much she would
have convulsed when she saw her son dying in agony! Jesus sympathised with her
and comforted her through the gift of another son in the person of John (Jn
19:25-27). Believe that the same Jesus would comfort your family folks because
He perfectly understands human feelings and pain (Heb 4:15,16). He will send
someone to fill up the vacuum created by your absence.

The Kingdom of God advances by "tears, sweat and
blood" ó prayer, labour and suffering (Rev 6:9-11). The blood of martyrs
is the seed of the Church. When one grain falls into the ground, a plant grows
to yield so many grains (Jn 12:24,25). The martyrdom of Graham Staines and his
two sons (1999) filled India with the aroma of Christ. This country of so many
religions and philosophies understood the true meaning of forgiveness
practically for the first time when Mrs. Gladys Staines openly declared, "I
forgive the killers of my husband and sons!"

By being persecuted you are actually filling up in your body
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ (Col 1:24). The marks of the Lord
Jesus are now in your body (Gal 6:17). The Spirit of glory rests on you. On the
part of the persecutors Christ is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified
(1 Pet 4:14). His grace will be sufficient for every trial and suffering. He
will not let you suffer beyond His supply of strength to withstand. He sets the
boundary for the raging waves of the sea (Job 38:10,11).

God has given you a spirit of power and not of fear. Stir
yourself up every morning! Donít be ashamed! (2 Tim 1:6-8). Due to pain and
imprisonment Prophet Jeremiah decided not to prophesy any longer. There was fear
every side. But Godís Word in his heart was like a burning fire shut up in his
bones. He could not hold it back! He confessed, "But the Lord is with me as
a mighty, awesome one. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not
prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their
everlasting confusion will never be forgotten" (Jer 20:1,2,9-11).

Donít get angry with the opposers. Pray for them (Mt
5:44c). It is for God to repay those who trouble you (2 Thess 1:6-8). Hereís
Christís promise to you: "Do not fear any of those things which you are
about to suffer...Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of
life" (Rev 2:10).